It’s hard to believe it’s been a decade since the first Galaxy S was unveiled to the world. Samsung’s premium flagship smartphone line has set the benchmark in display, camera and performance. Today, the world welcomes the next generation Galaxy S10 series, pushing the envelope of innovation even further. Contrary to the numerous leaks and rumours, Samsung launches not three but four devices, catering to different consumer needs and wants, including next generation 5G connectivity.
The new Galaxy S10 series consists of the standard Galaxy S10, the more expansive Galaxy S10+ with dual selfie cameras, the accessible Galaxy S10e and made-for-tomorrow’s-connectivity Galaxy S10 5G.
World’s best display
With the Galaxy S10, Samsung built its best screen yet – the world’s first Dynamic AMOLED display. It’s the world’s first HDR10+ certified smartphone which delivers the best contrast, dynamic range, wide colour gamut and most accurate colours. It’s also VDE-certified for vibrant, bright colours.
That aside, the Dynamic AMOLED reduces blue light through its TUV Rheinland-certified Eye Comfort display without adding a filter.
Samsung may not be the first, but its new flagship device features a punch-hole display which it dubs “Infinity-O Display.” It’s a different execution from Huawei’s and Honor’s, but similarly a result of some groundbreaking engineering.
The Galaxy S10 and S10+ also includes the first-ever embedded Ultrasonic Fingerprint Scanner that is claimed to be more superior than optical-based one found on the likes of the vivo NEX and Huawei Mate 20 Pro. Because it uses 3D contours of a physical thumbprint and not a 2D image, it’s more secure against spoofing.
For the Galaxy S10e, the fingerprint scanner is mounted on the side, embedded to the power button ala the Sony Xperia series.
Specifically, the Galaxy S10 features a 6.1-inch Quad HD+ Curved Dynamic AMOLED (550PPI), the Galaxy S10+ offers a 6.4-inch Quad HD+ Curved Dynamic AMOLED display (438PPI) while the Galaxy S10e packs a more conventional 5.8-inch Full HD+ flat Dynamic AMOLED display.
Pro camera
It’s difficult to separate the Galaxy S from camera performance, as it has traditionally been in the forefront of camera performance and experience. This time, the camera gets new glass, more intelligent features and software enhancements.
A first on the Galaxy S series after the Galaxy A7 (2019), the Galaxy S10 now comes with a triple camera system which also includes a ultra-wide lens with a 123-degree field of view (FOV). It’s perfect for landscape shots and perfect for a party of people.
The previous generation Galaxy S9 offers optical image stabilisation, but the successor now includes Super Steady digital image stabilisation technology that complements the dual optical stabilisation (OIS).
What’s awesome is that the front 10MP selfie shooters can now shoot up to UHD (4K) quality, an industry first.
Since the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note9, Samsung has placed focus on NPU (neural processing unit) enhanced smart features on its flagship device cameras. This includes Scene Optimizer that recognises and accurately processes more scenes. Compared to the Galaxy S9’s 20 scenes, the Galaxy S10 now does 30.
A new feature called Shot Suggestion is a nifty tool that offers automatic composition recommendations so you can optimally frame your photos.
To drill down to the specs in more detail, the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ have identical rear camera systems. They comprise a wide-angle (77-degree) 12MP f/1.5-2.4 variable aperture main shooter with Dual Pixel autofocus, a secondary 12MP telephoto f/2.4 (45-degree FOV), and an ultra-wide (123-degree) 16MP f/2.2 fixed focus camera.
They offer up to 2X optical zoom and up to 10X digital zoom.
The Galaxy 10e on the other hand, offers a wide-angle 12MP f/1.5-2.4 main shooter with OIS and an ultra-wide 16MP f/2.2 fixed focus camera setup.
For the front, the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy s10e share the same 10MP f/1.9 (90-degree FOV) selfie shooter, while the Galaxy S10+ boasts a secondary 8MP fixed focus f/2.2 RGB depth camera.
Performance, performance, performance
The leaks have been accurate, so no surprises here. The Galaxy S10 series is powered by the 7nm octa-core Exynos 9820 (the US market gets the Snapdragon 855) with up to 12GB of LPDDRX RAM and up go 1TB of storage. There’s microSD expansion of up to an additional 512GB.
In terms of battery, the Galaxy S10 offers the biggest battery yet in a flagship Galaxy device – 4,100mAh on the Galaxy S10+. The regular Galaxy S10 packs a 3,400mAh battery while the entry-level Galaxy S10e features a 3,100mAh unit.
The batteries on the devices support fast charging both wired and wirelessly, supporting QC 2.0 and AFC standards. Samsung says wireless charging speeds are improved with Fast Wireless Charging 2.0, up to 30 percent faster.
New to the Galaxy series is Wireless PowerShare, which allows you to do reverse wireless charging. This means you can charge other wireless-charging capable smartphones and accessories like the new Galaxy Buds.
The Galaxy S10 also features the fastest wireless connectivity with support for gigabit LTE (Cat.20) for theoretical 2Gbps downlink and 1.2Gbps uplink performance.
The new series boasts next generation Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) which delivers 4X faster access in crowded areas, like the airport.
Gamers will be happy to know that Galaxy S10 is built for gaming performance – from its AI-enhanced gaming performance optimisation, vapor chamber cooling system and Dolby Atmos audio. It is also the first ever mobile device optimised for the Unity platform.
Not to be overlooked is security, with Samsung Knox offering defense-grade protection for your data and privacy.
There’s also plenty more to love including IP68 dust- and water-resistance, new Bixby routines that help simplify daily life, Samsung Health and Samsung Pay.
The Galaxy S10 runs Android 9 Pie with One UI.
Galaxy S10 pricing and availability
Samsung will offer various configurations and colour options including:
Galaxy S10
- 6GB RAM + 128GB storage
- 8GB RAM + 512GB storage
- 12GB RAM + 1TB storage
- from USD899
Galaxy S10+
- 6GB RAM + 128GB storage
- 8GB RAM + 512GB storage
- 12GB RAM + 1TB storage
- from USD999
Galaxy S10e
- 6GB RAM + 128GB storage
- 8GB RAM + 256GB storage
- from USD749
Galaxy S10 5G
- 6GB RAM + 128GB storage
- 8GB RAM + 512GB storage
- 12GB RAM + 1TB storage
For the Galaxy S10 and S10+ models with 6GB and 8GB RAM, colour options include Prism White, Prism Green and Prism Black. The 12GB RAM Galaxy S10+ will only be available in Luxurious Ceramic Black and Ceramic White. The Galaxy S10e will offer Prism White, Prism Green, Prism Black and a Canary Yellow option.
Pre-orders start from 21 February 2019 depending on market and the device will go on sale in March 2019. Details on Malaysian pricing and availability here.
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